WIFTY - 2

Seeing how calm he was despite being late, he’s probably a repeat offender.
I can wait it out for a few days—I’m sure I’ll catch him.
——From Su Zaizai’s Little Fairy Diary

The bell rang, signaling the end of class.

The teacher on the podium tossed the chalk into the chalk box and scanned the classroom: “Those who haven’t submitted their homework, come find me in the office after class. Dismissed.”

The students immediately stood up, lazily bowing in unison: “Thank you, teacher. See you later.”

Knowing Zhang Lurang disliked being disturbed during class, Ye Zhenxin waited until the bell rang before turning around to ask him: “Zhang Lurang, where did your deskmate go?”

He leaned back in his chair, still holding his pen. His knuckles were prominent, the curve of his fingers elegant.

“Leave of absence.”

His voice was clear yet low, devoid of emotion, like the muffled sound of rain falling in the dead of night.

Ye Zhenxin’s eyes widened as she muttered enviously: “Huh? Why’d he take leave… Just two days after National Day, and he’s already taking time off. Lucky bastard.”

She waited for a moment but received no response.

Zhang Lurang slightly raised his gaze, picked up the English practice book on his desk, and flipped to the page with the assigned exercises. He stared at the cloze passage—thirteen out of fifteen questions wrong.

Finally, his expression flickered slightly.

The girl in front continued: “Why did he suddenly take leave? He seemed fine during Chinese class.”

Unconsciously, he tapped the edge of the desk with his pen. The corners of his usually straight lips dipped slightly, irritation smoldering faintly in his eyes.

It was subtle, almost imperceptible.

Realizing her question, he glanced at Ye Zhenxin and murmured: “I don’t know.”

She kept talking, her topic veering off in another direction.

Zhang Lurang stood up.

Ye Zhenxin blinked: “Where are you going?”

His expression remained indifferent as he ignored her, picking up the English practice book and walking toward the door.

Meanwhile, Su Zaizai was being dragged by Jiang Jia toward the restroom.

On the way, Jiang Jia suddenly remembered something.

“Oh, right, Zaizai.”

Su Zaizai pulled a pack of tissues from her pocket, tore out the last sheet, and tossed the empty packet into the trash bin next to the sink.

As she wiped her hands, she responded: “Hmm?”

“The school sports meet is coming up. Do you want to sign up for any events?”

“What events are there?”

“Lots! High jump, long jump, one-minute rope skipping, ten-person eleven-legged race.”

Just as Su Zaizai was about to respond, her peripheral vision caught sight of a tall, slim figure emerging from the stairs near the office, heading toward it.

His hair dripped water, and his back was turned to her.

Her pupils contracted, her heart tightening with uncertain excitement and anticipation. Before she could approach, she saw the boy drop his practice book onto the floor.

He bent down to pick it up, revealing his profile.

…Not him.

Disappointment washed over Su Zaizai. She silently cursed in her mind.

How could someone as stunningly beautiful as herself be so distracted by some handsome guy?

What a disgrace.

Seeing her lack of reaction, Jiang Jia assumed she hadn’t heard any interesting options and continued: “There’s also the 100-meter, 200-meter, 800-meter, and shot put.”

Su Zaizai’s expression was listless as she lazily asked: “So the longest distance is 800 meters?”

Confused by her question, Jiang Jia tilted her head: “Huh? You want something longer? I think 800 meters is enough to kill me.”

Just before entering the classroom, Su Zaizai couldn’t resist glancing back one more time.

The office door was wide open. Nearby, two girls—one standing, one sitting—were chatting and laughing. Raindrops pattered against the azure railing outside, while a group of boys horsed around nearby.

She withdrew her gaze.

At the same moment, a boy emerged from the stairwell, turned right, and walked into the office.

Su Zaizai sat down at her desk, burying half her face in the crook of her arm. Only her bright, clear eyes peeked out: “I think an 800-meter run would waste my athletic talent.”

Jiang Jia’s lips twitched: “You clearly…”

“No ten-thousand-meter race, no participation.”

“Bullshit!” Jiang Jia shouted loudly.

Her voice was so loud that the previously noisy classroom fell into an abrupt silence.

Then, a boy leaned over teasingly: “Who farted?”

Jiang Jia’s expression turned serious: “Definitely not Su Zaizai.”

Guan Han raised his eyebrows, amusement flickering in his eyes: “So it was you?”

“It was you,” Jiang Jia retorted.

Su Zaizai shrugged nonchalantly: “It really was you.”

Guan Han: “…Hmph.”

His intention wasn’t to take the blame for something he didn’t do, okay?

Jiang Jia covered her nose with one hand and half of Su Zaizai’s face with the other, scrunching up her nose in disgust: “Guan Han, can you stop farting in public places?”

Guan Han smacked her on the head, frowning angrily: “You’re asking for trouble.”

Jiang Jia didn’t ease up at all: “Even if I’m dying, I won’t sniff it!”

“…”

Soon, the bell rang. The students who had been huddled together quickly dispersed back to their seats.

After a brief silence, Jiang Jia brought the topic back to what they’d been discussing earlier: “I remember during the last PE class, you were already panting like a dog after running fifty meters. And now you’re talking about a ten-thousand-meter race?”

Su Zaizai blinked innocently: “Panting like a dog?”

“Don’t act all innocent. Do you want me to demonstrate? Dream on!”

But Su Zaizai never played by the rules…

She stuck out her tongue and panted exaggeratedly a few times, then asked proudly: “Like this?”

Jiang Jia: “…Enough. Stop being ridiculous.”

Not long after, the Chinese teacher walked in.

Su Zaizai put away her playful thoughts and opened her textbook as instructed.

She turned her head toward the window.

The tree branches were still being battered by the heavy rain, bending slightly under the weight. Tiny droplets slid down the veins of the leaves, dripping and falling to the ground.

It was still raining.

He hadn’t brought an umbrella—would he get soaked again?

Even before the class ended, Jiang Jia had already packed her bag and exchanged glances with two other dorm mates, Xiaoxiao and Xiaoyu, ready to sprint at any moment.

But that wasn’t enough. Seeing Su Zaizai sitting quietly without moving, Jiang Jia impatiently grabbed the bag hanging from the side of her desk and stuffed a couple of books inside for her.

As soon as the bell rang, the four of them bolted toward the cafeteria like starving wolves.

They quickly got their food and found a spot to sit, chatting intermittently.

Suddenly, Xiaoyu remembered something and asked: “By the way, are any of you interested in participating in the Campus Night show? Our class hasn’t prepared anything yet, and there are only two weeks left.”

As the arts committee member of the class, this was her responsibility to organize.

The sports meet lasted two days and one night. During the day, there were athletic events, and at night, it was Campus Night—a gala where each class performed a program.

Xiaoxiao chimed in: “Ah, do you have any ideas yet?”

“That’s why I’m asking you guys!”

Suddenly, an idea popped into Su Zaizai’s head.

Why not perform herself and make a missing person announcement at the end…?

But how would she phrase it?

“A super handsome guy who was late during the extended break today, passing by the snack shop?”

Or, “A guy who looked especially alluring while getting drenched in the rain…”

Damn, even she thought it sounded ridiculous.

After finishing their meal, Xiaoxiao and Xiaoyu headed back to the dormitory first, leaving Su Zaizai to accompany Jiang Jia to the snack shop.

When they reached the entrance, Su Zaizai realized she didn’t need anything, so she waited outside while Jiang Jia went in.

There were a lot of people around. The three tables outside the snack shop were packed, with people chatting, holding hands, and eating instant noodles from the tabletops.

In the hustle and bustle, shoulders inevitably brushed against one another.

Su Zaizai shifted toward the corner to avoid the crowd.

From afar, she heard fragments of a conversation.

A gruff yet loud male voice caught her attention: “Zhang Lurang, did you walk here in the rain? Let’s head back together.”

Zhang Lurang…

Isn’t that the handsome guy from the advanced class?

Su Zaizai followed the source of the voice, but her view was blocked by the bustling crowd in front of her.

“—Mhm.”

His voice was exceptionally clear and cool, crisper than the air after the rain.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she immediately thought of the boy she’d seen that morning.

He had quietly passed by her, water dripping from the tips of his hair. The strands near his temples clung to his cheeks.

Droplets fell one by one from his jet-black hair, darkening its hue. For a moment, Su Zaizai almost imagined the water flowing out of his hair was black too.

His deep black eyes stood out against his pale, flawless face, strikingly bright.

Su Zaizai lowered her gaze to the umbrella in her hand, her eyes unfocused.

A surge of irritation washed over her, accompanied by absurd thoughts.

He must have done it on purpose. He must know how attractive he is.

So he deliberately walked in the rain, deliberately passed by her.

Deliberately… tempting her.